TaylorMade's logo look for Lytham

One of the most fun aspects of major championships these days is that TaylorMade creates one-of-a-kind logos for the hats, shirts and golf bags that its staff players use during the week. The logo for this week’s Open Championship is one of their best – and most detailed.

What does it all mean? Here, courtesy of TaylorMade, is the explanation.

The logo’s foundation is the Lytham Windmill, arguably the most famous landmark in Lytham St. Annes. On it is a life preserver that represents the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which was founded in 1824 and whose lifeboats have saved more than 137,000 lives.

The crown, of course, represents the British crown. It is topped by a violet and the logo also is colored violet as an homage to Violet Talbot, a close friend of Queen Mary, helped Royal Lytham secure its designation as “royal” in 1926. The 10 beads on each side of the crown are a nod to the 10 previous Open Championships played there. And the TL at the bottom is for Tom Lehman, who won the 1996 Open at Royal Lytham.

The three stars on the crown represent the coat of arms of the Clifton family, which has a long history with Royal Lytham. In 1889, Lady Eleanor Cecily Clifton donated a gold medal for the club to present to its champion each year. And the three windows in the windmill stand for the first hole at Royal Lytham, which is the only par-3 opening hole on any of the Open host venues.

And finally, the red banner that contains the word “Open” symbolizes the Challenge Belt, which is what Open winners received in the tournament’s early years. The belt became the permanent possession of Young Tom Morris in 1870 on the occasion of his third Open victory.